


tis the season

by nerdiests



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, Happy Times For Everyone, References to Canon, a dani-centric christmas fic no one knew they needed, christmas truce 2017, could take place in canon timeline, dani really likes hot cocoa okay, who knows? not me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 07:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13142316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdiests/pseuds/nerdiests
Summary: Dani's never really had the full-on "Holiday Experience" before, but that's something she'd like to change.





	tis the season

Dani had been all over the place. She loved to travel and had no real pressing obligations, so travel she did. Anywhere and everywhere. From Toronto to Paris to Tokyo, Dani really had been everywhere. But one particular thing stuck with her as she travelled. Most people that were as old as she appeared were travelling with family. Something Dani didn’t really have… Well, she had Danny but was she really his family? She didn’t think so. 

As October ended and November began, Dani noticed people around the world putting up fake pine trees and light displays. She had heard of Christmas and Hanukkah and holiday celebrations of all sorts across the world, but she hadn’t yet experienced them. She hoped that she would get to soon, though. And considering that most - scratch that, all of those holidays occurred in December, there was a very high likelihood that Dani would get to experience the holiday cheer. 

When Dani got caught up in a crowd going shopping on “Black Friday” the day she decided to come back to the US, she realized that the holiday frenzy was really… Fierce. Dani should’ve probably waited to come back until after the holidays, but she’d wanted to truly experience the holidays in their entirety and the celebrations  _ technically _ started the day after Thanksgiving in the US and Dani had wanted to head back to Amity Park at some point anyways. After all, you can’t have the holidays without people to celebrate them with, right? 

December was in full swing before Dani knew it. People began to put up holiday decorations, and  _ wow _ those trees were really big and really sparkly. It got colder, too. There was snow all over the place, and Dani got to have a snowball fight with a group of preteens in Colorado in mid-December. It was  _ great _ . 10/10 would do it again. She’d got to have hot cocoa afterwards, and needless to say, Dani had a new favorite drink.

By the time December 22nd had rolled around, Dani was in the Amity Park area, debating internally whether or not she should go and see Danny. On the one hand, Dani didn’t really have a family and Danny was as close as she would get to family, and people celebrated holidays with family, right? On the other hand… She would be intruding on his own holiday and she really didn’t want to do that. She didn’t particularly want to be alone, though. 

“This is a bad idea,” Dani said to herself as she flew into Amity Park. Danny’s house should be where she remembered… Aha! The big sign kind of helped, especially since it was decked in holiday lights. Now… How would she go about getting in… 

“Dani?” The girl in question whirled around midair, seeing an open window and-!

“Danny!” Dani flew towards the window, skidding to a stop right before she would hit the window. 

“What’re you doing here?” Danny asked, before furrowing his brow in concern.

“You’re not melting again, are you?” he asked worriedly, and Dani shook her head rapidly.

“Nope! I’m just here ‘cause it’s the holidays and I’ve heard a lot about them, like the celebration and quality family time! And I was wondering… CouldIstayhereandcelebrate?” Dani rushed out. Danny blinked once, twice, thrice. 

“...Why would I tell you you couldn’t?” Danny said slowly. Dani paused for a moment, before zipping into Danny’s room and landing on the floor.

“Oh this is gonna be great!” Dani said, pumping a fist into the air. 

The next day, Dani hassled Danny into taking her shopping. She needed to get gifts for everyone, didn’t she? Danny looked a bit grouchy, but when Dani asked about it, he muttered something about rhyming and giant nutcrackers. Dani didn’t ask. 

Shopping was eventful. Dani found something for the… Five? People she knew? It took time (and Danny giving advice on what to buy Sam/Tucker/Jazz/Valerie) but it was accomplished. She also snuck something for Danny that she thought he would like. Hopefully. Dani didn’t notice Danny pull his phone out and let his friends/sister/ghost hunting rival (? He didn’t know) that Dani was getting them a present (didn’t say Dani in Valerie’s case but) so they could possibly reciprocate. 

The next day, Dani grew even more excited for the 25th of December because, y’know, it was  _ tomorrow _ !! It would be Christmas and Dani knew that Danny had mentioned that Sam celebrated Hanukkah and that started today and Dani was just really excited for the holidays!!!

“You’re all jumpy today,” Danny commented at one point as the two walked around town looking at all the decorations people had put up for the holidays. 

“Tis the holiday season, Danny! How could you not be excited? Plus I’ve never experienced the holiday season, soooo I’m really  _ really _ excited!” Dani spun as she spoke, arms whirling around as she did. Danny laughed at her antics.

“I may not really like the holiday season, but I hope you can enjoy it,” Danny said. Dani grinned, before spotting a café and dragging Danny towards it, talking a mile a minute about having to try hot chocolate because that’s her favorite drink ever,  _ c’mon Danny!! _

The majority of Christmas Eve was spent like that, going around town, wishing people a happy holidays and Danny letting Dani appreciate the holiday traditions that Amity Park had to offer. Dani specifically liked the holiday lights competition Amity Park did - Danny said the theme this year was “Enjoying the Lights of Amity Park” and Dani found it beautiful. One person had strung up golden lights all over their house, and another person had stars on their roof. Danny pointed out Sam and Tucker’s house - the former had colorful lights decking out the house of all sorts and the latter had icicle-looking lights all over his roof and a cheeky sign up. Danny later told Dani Tucker had made the sign himself.

That night, Dani went around to deliver the three gifts she had bought for people that weren’t Danny or Jazz. She politely asked Sam to not open her gift until the next day, as her family had likely already opened their gifts for the day. Sam had told Dani she would wait, as it would be impolite to not. When Dani gave Tucker his gift, she told him to open it the next day with his gifts he’d get the next day, he looked at the gift longingly, before nodding and rushing inside to put it under his family’s tree. Valerie looked shocked to see her, but accepted both the gift and the condition around opening it. And as Danny and Jazz and their parents went to sleep that night, Dani snuck Danny and Jazz’s presents under the tree for them to open. 

Dani woke up on December 25th full of excitement, and had to prevent herself from flinging herself through the wall to go and wake up Danny. It was  _ Christmas _ !!!! And Dani had to sequester herself where Danny’s parents couldn’t find her because she technically was staying there without them knowing but? It was the holidays, and Dani wanted to spend time with her first ever friends. Which she had gotten to do, and it was nice. 

A knock on the door startled Dani out of her thoughts. She blinked and looked at the door in confusion. She began to grin when she was greeted by Danny standing in the doorway with an armful of gifts.

“Heh, these are yours,” Danny said as he placed the small pile on Dani’s temporary bed. Dani’s grin grew even wider as the presents were placed and Danny gestured at them as if to say ‘what are you waiting for?’ So Dani attacked the presents with fervor. 

“Sweet, a hiking backpack! Useful! Thank you Sam,” Dani said happily upon opening the first package. All the others were opened with the same enthusiasm. She loved the DS Tucker bought, along with a game called Animal Crossing and a second game with Legos on it. The novel Jazz had given her, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, looked really interesting. Valerie’s gift of a pocket knife would be practical. Danny looked a bit uneasy about giving Dani a pocket knife but Dani was ecstatic. Another useful gift! And Danny’s gift… It was wonderful.

“A book all about the stars, oh this is wonderful! Thank you Danny!” Dani exclaimed, jumping and hugging Danny. He froze, if only for a second, before returning the hug and smiling fondly. 

“Merry Christmas Dani.” 

**Author's Note:**

> this is my piece for the Christmas Truce this year, just on here for better formatting reasons.  
> I uh couldn’t really think of anything and then I thought, tis the season, ain’t it? So. Have this holiday-centric fic about Dani and her first holiday experience.  
> check out my tumblr at: hapless-fma-otaku.tumblr.com


End file.
